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Washington — Rep. Mike Johnson won on the final ballot for GOP speaker Tuesday night, defeating Rep. Byron Donalds.
Johnson won 128 votes, while Donalds received 29 votes. Ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was not a nominee, received 43 votes, and there was one other vote of “present.”
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After the Republican conference meeting ended, Johnson spoke briefly to reporters and said that his intention is to go the House floor Wednesday for a noon vote. He did not disclose the tally of the roll call vote in the conference to gauge support for his nomination, but said he was “very confident” he could win the 217 GOP votes he needs to win the speaker’s gavel on the House floor.
Earlier Tuesday night, Ohio Rep. Max Miller suggested there was growing support for restoring McCarthy to the speakership. “I actually think that we may be on a merry-go-round,” Miller told reporters. “Who knows, we might end up back at Speaker McCarthy. He’s still got the most votes on anybody in that room.”
Johnson, a former radio host from Louisiana, was the fourth speaker nominee selected by Republicans since McCarthy was removed as speaker, and the second nominee selected in a single day. Johnson, who was first elected to Congress in 2016, voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.
His victory came after House Republicans held another candidate forum Tuesday evening after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer dropped out of the Republican race for speaker, the third speaker-designee to drop out in less than three weeks.
Emmer’s decision to withdraw a mere four hours after Republicans had elected him sent House Republicans back again to try to find a new nominee after three weeks without a permanent speaker.
Former President Donald Trump expressed strong opposition to Emmer shortly after he won the nomination, posting on Truth Social, “Voting for a Globalist RINO like Tom Emmer would be a tragic mistake!” He said Emmer was “out of touch with Republican voters.”
Asked Tuesday evening by reporters whether Trump’s opposition had been a deciding factor in his withdrawal from the speaker race, Emmer replied, “I made my decision based on my relationship with the conference.”
The Minnesota Republican needed to persuade the far-right members of the conference to vote for him on the floor. A roll-call vote in the conference indicated that there were over 20 who opposed Emmer, far more than the four Republicans he could afford to lose on the House floor.
Jack Turman contributed to this report.
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